Hi all... my trainer has told me to get my hands on a mouth guard as we are sparring much more. Are Shock Doctor the best mouth guard to get? Or do you always get a better mouth guard by going to the dentist?

First of all I suggest people to wear a mouthguard in EVERY training situation with partner contact! Even if it's only a warm up game. You could always accidentally run into each other. I wouldn't let people spar at all without a mouthguard. The most important aspect is of course to protect your teeth (which don't heal like a broken bone and are really expensive to get fixed if broken) and reduce the possibility of concussions, but also to protect you from those little, non serious but pretty annoying, injuries with inflammation on your mucosa when pressed against the teeth due to an impact. Another factor is of wearing the mouthguard in training as much as possible is to getting used to it so it doesn't disturb you while fighting.

So, about the Shock Doctor mouth guards. They are considered amongst the best in the "boil and bite" category. A custom made mouthguard from the dentist is usually still better, as the dentist can make it fit more exactly to your teeth, but it's also a lot more expensive. The best kinds of mouthguards are probably those like in this clip:

The brand named in the clip is definitely not the only one to make such a type of mouthguards. I've seen other brands around who do a similar multiple layer type of mouthguards. I recommend this type of custom dentist made mouthguard if you're aiming seriously to compete in the sport.

For regular training the Shock Doctor mouthguards are fine. I've had good experience with their Power Gel Ultra. It's tight fitting (when boiled and bitten correctly) and very low profile so there is no problem with breathing and you're still able to talk reasonably well. But beware, they've somehow changed the fitting gel. I wanted to buy me a new one and the fitting gel was very soft, so the mouthguard easily falls out. So if you want one of those, look out for the old green colored ones and avoid the new blue colored. The same problem exists with their Ultra STC model.

If you buy a boil and bite mouthguard like the ones from Shock Doctor, follow the instructions for fitting carefully. I've seen lots of people who didn't so that their mouthguard didn't really fit and easily fell out.

Thanks for the info that was a great help... I saw that Shock Doctor make custom guards... Would one of these http://www.shockdoctor.com/product/c...outhguard.aspx be better than a dentist fitted guard? Or are dentist fitted guards ALWAYS the best option? I ask the question because Shock Doctor seem to think of everything, years ago I had a dentist fitted guard which fit well but all it seemed to be was a thin piece of soft plastic, didn't have any of the features Shock Doctor describe!

Thanks for the info that was a great help... I saw that Shock Doctor make custom guards... Would one of these http://www.shockdoctor.com/product/c...outhguard.aspx be better than a dentist fitted guard? Or are dentist fitted guards ALWAYS the best option? I ask the question because Shock Doctor seem to think of everything, years ago I had a dentist fitted guard which fit well but all it seemed to be was a thin piece of soft plastic, didn't have any of the features Shock Doctor describe!

I can't really tell about the SD custom made guards as I don't know what kind of technology they use. The crucial part there is that you get a kit and have to do the dental imprint yourself. That can go very well, but a dentist has more experience in it.

The multiple layer mouthguards I mentioned before are the kind lots of professionals use.

How long have you been training without a mouth guard? You should be using them every time you train for added protection, especially for sparring.

As for mouth guards, one of the most popular brands are Shock Doctor. It has custom fit and lets you breath while clenching your teeth. They have several different models such as adult, youth, braces, etc.